A Stab in the Back
by shes cured
Summary: The secret is out in the open and there's no going back now. Meredith thought she could end it, but it was just too real. Now people knew. But that didn't mean everyone was happy, especially not her sister by blood. And Cristina showing up wouldn't simplify matters any more.
1. Chapter 1 - Meredith

I came home late on purpose. I probably could've been home earlier, but I convinced Amelia to watch the kids while I busied myself at the hospital. I just wasn't ready to face my sister. At least not yet.

I had hoped that no one would notice Riggs putting his hand on my shoulder - or if they did they'd brush it off as just friends - but as I walked around the hospital it was clear that there was no more hiding. Nothing I could say would make these people, that had been my friends for years, believe that I wasn't into Riggs. It was too late for that, now it was time for damage control.

Amelia had stopped me in the hall first. Her mouth was graced with a smirk and I let out a deep breath, getting ready for a smart comment. I loved Amelia, I did, but she tested my patience time and time again.

"You didn't tell me that your date the other night was with Riggs," she whispered it as if the rest of the hospital didn't already know. "Now that," she let out a small laugh, "that was a surprise. I did not see that coming at all. I mean, I figured you'd date eventually, but Riggs? Don't get me wrong, he's handsome but-"

"Not now," I hissed. "I can't talk about this now."

"Oh, c'mon-"

"I am at work, Amelia. We are not doing this here," I said with finality, then I sauntered away, my mind racing at how this was going to go.

She rolled her eyes, agreeing to let it go, but calling after me in the hallway, "You're telling me all about it tonight, though, Grey! You can't weasel away from me forever."

I wanted to mention how she'd been weaseling away from her _husband_ for months, so I could definitely avoid her just as well, but I decided to control my bitterness. I wasn't mad at her. I was just mad that this all was out in the open. I only just agreed to date Riggs, I wasn't ready for the world to know yet.

But I knew this wasn't about the world at all. I didn't care if the world knew, I just wasn't ready for _Maggie_ to know yet. She would be so hurt. She was just... she was my little sister, through and through. She was hopeful and optimistic, but right now she was feeling lower than I'd ever saw her due to the death of her mom, and here I was, about to kick her when she was down. She'd been hurting so much. Part of me still felt guilty for agreeing to go out with Riggs, because she was the one I never wanted to hurt. We had come a long way from where we started and I had learned to love her. I tried not to, but somewhere along the way she became my family. And family just doesn't do these things to each other. I didn't have one growing up, but I'd learned a lot of lessons about being a family since becoming an intern all those years ago.

Which is why I was sneaking into my own house at two in the morning. I'd completed a surgery, caught up on paperwork, went over patient charts for tomorrow... I hooked up with Riggs in an on call room too, but that was beside the point. The point was, I ran out of excuses to excuse me not going home. I felt bad for not seeing my kids, but I knew they'd assume it was a doctor thing, not a thing with me avoiding their aunt. Although I'd have to be careful, because Zola was getting quite perceptive of when there was a fight going on, even if there wasn't bickering. She had began to learn that silence speaks louder than words.

I shut the door softly behind me, trying not to wake anyone up. I re-locked it before heading up to my bedroom. All I wanted to do was sleep. Seeing people all day and having them know all my business... I just wasn't used to that anymore. I hadn't dated since Derek and I didn't think I ever would. I thought the days of whispered rumors and intrusive questions were long behind me. I forgot how involved this hospital truly was with my love life.

I walked into my room expecting to sleep but I was caught by surprise. There she was, the one person I had successfully avoided all day, waiting up for me where I really couldn't escape her. She was sitting on my bed and she'd already seen me. I had no out.

"I thought you weren't going to come home," she stated matter-of-factly.

Well, she didn't _sound_ angry, so that had to be a good thing. I almost got hope.

"Of course I came home, I'm not on call. I just had to finish up some charting."

"Right, until two in the morning," she clicked her tongue. "And this wasn't because you didn't want to see me?"

I laughed it off as if I'd done nothing wrong - although technically I hadn't done anything wrong. Riggs was mine first. We were a thing before Maggie even uttered his name in front of me. I would have told her right then, but I really did think I'd be able to stay away. I didn't expect him to actually woo me over. He was a pompous ass, I had no reason to believe I wouldn't be able to just let him go. It drove me crazy that I couldn't. For weeks, months, I tried to get him off my mind, but at the end of the day he always lingered.

"Maggie, you're my sister. I want to see you, I was busy at work. I'm a surgeon, you know that means long hours," I explained, lying through my teeth.

She crossed her arms and I knew she wasn't going to let this slide off her back. Her eyes were filled with confusion and hurt and I prepared to hear the consequences of my actions. I would have to tell me eventually, so I might as well listen now. It would only make it worse if I made her wait until tomorrow.

"You told me we were done with lies, Meredith. And then you - you took him from me!"

"It's not like that at all," I instantly tried to plead with her. "We hooked up before you even told me you liked him. It wasn't like-"

That was not the right answer.

"So you just watched me make a fool out of myself?" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice hushed to avoid waking the kids, but I heard her exasperation loud and clear.

I wish I knew what to say to make her understand. I wish I knew why he was so captivating, why I forgot about ferry boat scrub caps and post its when I was kissing him. I wish could rationally explain why I couldn't just let this go like I wanted so badly to, but he was Riggs. I tried and tried, but the only explanation I really had was he was Riggs. I didn't want to, but I fell into his trap and fell for him. I said I was done. I meant that I was done, too. But, as he said, I kept coming back. After a while I couldn't keep pretending like that didn't mean something.

"I-"

"It's humiliating," she told me bluntly. "You don't get it, you have guys fawning over you constantly - you've never been turned down in your life - but it is absolutely humiliating! Having a guy say no, wanting someone you can't have..."

She trailed off. I opened my mouth to argue about how I knew exactly how hard it was to get turned down, but I decided I wouldn't bring up Addison. I hadn't mentioned anything about her to Maggie and I refused to now. Besides, I had a pretty good feeling the bringing up the memory of Addison wouldn't help me much in this case scenario. I'm sure Maggie had heard about my entire history with Derek, the rest of the hospital certainly did, but I refused to mention Addison because I refused to mention Derek. They were both long gone.

But the memories were there, and I remember how god damn awful I felt when he chose her. He came around, but watching this man that I was in love with decide he just didn't love me enough to stay with me was enough rejection to last a lifetime. I understood how awful she must have felt, but I really didn't know this would happen. In the moment, as wrong as I ended up being, I thought I was doing the right thing. I figured I'd push Riggs away to the point where he'd stop trying to pursue me, we'd both move on and Maggie would never have to know.

"He was staring at you this whole time and you let me believe it was me, you let me believe he liked me, and - damn it, Meredith, I'm so stupid," she cursed herself under her breath. Then, she regained her composure and looked at me, this time with tears. "You promised to be honest with me."

"And I was," I protested. "Maggie, I told you no more lies. I avoided him at all costs, I stopped seeing him, stopped texting him, stopped smiling at him in the hallways. I really tried to let him go."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

Now that I thought back that would have been a lot easier than this, but at the time it felt like I couldn't. I felt guilty for even thinking about another guy, nevermind confessing that I slept with one. It was Meredith and Derek. They didn't understand that it was always supposed to be Meredith and Derek. He wasn't supposed to die, it was never supposed to be so complicated.

"I would have understood."

"I know," I sighed.

Because now I did know, but at the time it wasn't so clear. I couldn't help but think of her as my kid sister when it came to protecting her feelings. I thought when Lexie died I was over the whole sibling thing, but Maggie weaved her way into Grey-Sloan and I was stuck. I didn't want to get hurt the way I did with Lexie, but, honestly, who _didn't_ like Maggie? She had that innocent charm and thought the best about people. Sure, she was a little socially awkward sometimes, but she wouldn't be Maggie if she wasn't. I just didn't want to hurt her.

"How can I fix this?" I sighed heavily. I hated seeing her so mad at me when I truly didn't mean to do anything wrong. Looking back, I really should've known I was going to get burned when he didn't give up after I said we couldn't be together the first time.

"I don't know," she suddenly stood up. "I can't do this. I can't look at you right now without feeling betrayed. I thought we were in a good place, but this whole time you were living this life that you didn't fill me in on. And that's fine, I don't need to be a part of your love life, but it was with _him._ You could've at least given me a heads up."

"It wasn't planned, it's a new thing. I didn't even know I'd agree to date him until a few days ago. Please, Maggie, just please, let this go."

She shook her head, her eyes suddenly becoming narrow. "That's the thing, Meredith, it's always about you, right? You have to decide what's a big deal and what we should brush off. I can't. I forgave you for a lot of things, but I can't keep blindly forgiving when you consistently go behind my back and hurt me again! You're supposed to be my sister. Me, you and Amelia - I thought two people had my back no matter what. And you just stabbed me in it."

"Maggie - I didn't mean to do this, I-"

"Well, you did."

She sounded so defeated. I didn't know what to say to comfort her anymore. I tried to explain, but she wouldn't listen. Or maybe the problem was she listened too much. I felt guilt bubbling inside me, remembering how cruel I was. I told him to say no to her. I forbid him from going out with Maggie, yet claimed I would never go out with him myself. I should have let him break the news about us to her when she asked him out. Forget that, I should've been the one to break the news to her. After all, as she kept reminding me, I was her sister.

"I don't know how I'll get past this one, Mer."

I looked down, inhaling a deep breath than exhaling. I truly ran out of words. I didn't know what to say. All I could do was hope she'd get over it soon. She had to. She never held a grudge.

She walked to the door and I thought the conversation was over and I could mope in my guilt until I fell asleep, but then she turned around in the doorway, shaking her head. She hastily wiped away a tear, but I pretended not to notice.

"You know I'd _never_ do this to you. Just remember that."

* * *

 **idk if I'm going to continue this, but I can't wait for the episode so I figured I'd write a version of my own. I don't know what's going to happen on Thursday but I can't wait to see it go down. Review if you please!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Maggie

**Chapter 2**

 **Maggie's POV**

I hadn't talked to Meredith since last night. We had worked around each other this morning as we got ready and stayed silent in the car ride. Half of me was mad that she hadn't apologized again now that it was daylight, but the other part didn't know why I thought she would.

Amelia was having a field day. I was glad one person found this humorous. She seemed to love the idea of Meredith and Riggs, claiming they were the perfect couple. Apparently all was forgotten about me and Riggs to everyone other me. The only person who I hoped might be willing to commiserate with me was Owen.

"What? You're not talking?" she asked once she realized it'd be a silent car ride. "C'mon. It's a boy and you're sisters! Don't let a boy-"

"It's not the boy I'm mad at," I huffed, looking straight ahead. "The boy is not the problem."

Amelia leaned forward from the backseat, looking between us. "Meredith, apologize. And Maggie, you can't do this. It's my job to give her the silent treatment and we can't both do it."

"We can both do it," I rolled my eyes.

"I did apologize," Meredith said lightly. "If she doesn't want to listen, that's not my problem. I said I was sorry, but I can't change things, so that's the best I can do."

I felt rage boiling at how entitled she could be, but I didn't say anything, simply pursing my lips. She was a bitch. Sure, she was nice and looking out for me and let me live in her house, but she was still undoubtedly a bitch. She didn't know how to be gentle with feelings and continuously lied to my face. I didn't care about her moments of kindness right now.

In the hospital she stayed away from me, which I was more than okay with. The only time I saw her was my lunch break. She was in the cafeteria eating with Alex and Arizona, but I walked by before she even finished inviting me.

"Seriously, Maggie?" she asked.

Good. I wasn't the only one annoyed.

I knew I was acting childish by doing ignoring her so blatently. He was just a crush I had, not the love of my life, but it was the principle of things. She lied to me. She said there would be no more lies – in fact she _promised_ there wouldn't be – yet there Nathan was at the press conference, his hand nice an cozy on her shoulder.

"She's more pissed than I am," Alex announced as he shoveled a forkful of tuna salad into his mouth.

Meredith didn't say anything, but I could almost guarantee there was an eye roll.

Luckily it was a big hospital. Some days it felt small, but it was big when I needed it to be. I stayed in the cardio wing and let her go anywhere else. She was smart enough to stay away from my turf and I was smart enough to know that the whole rest of the hospital was her turf.

I eventually saw her as I was walking out for the day. She was talking to a patient that Riggs was in charge of. Go figure he'd consult her. She had a serious expression on her face and I just stood there, staring at her as she broke what I assumed to be bad news to this family, wondering how she could have walked around the past few months without even giving me a clue.

"You're staring at her," Jo said, not looking away from the tablet she was studying.

She nearly scared me out of my skin. I didn't even notice her when I got there and began analyzing Medusa with her patient. I smirked. Medusa really was a good name for her.

I was so distracted with torturing myself that I completely forgot there'd be other people around. It was only seven, after all, it wasn't that late.

"Hey, if it helps, I'm with you."

I scrunched my nose in confusion, turning to the young girl beside me. I tilted my head and looked at her through squinty eyes. "Why are _you_ with me, Wilson?"

"She ruined me and Alex," she said as if it was obvious and I should have known.

I knew rationally that Meredith had no interference with the crashing and burning of their relationship. Jo got jealous and Alex didn't listen to her – it wasn't Meredith's fault he came over at every beck and call. But in the moment, I didn't care and it just gave me another reason to hate Meredith, which was really what I'd been searching for all day.

My expression and thoughts had a mind of their own, though. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at her skeptically and defending my sister. "Wasn't that a really long time ago?"

She smirked, picking up the tablet and giving me a knowing look. "Trust me. Give it a few months. You'll still be holding a grudge too. Don't worry, there's a club of us that work here who don't like her. One more member is always welcome."

That surprised me. It seemed like everyone liked Meredith. That's part of why this was so hard. Everywhere I went people were talking about her and Riggs, but they were _happy_ for her. I despised that, because how could they be happy when she was a two-faced, lying bitch?

"Meredith," I heard a voice calling after her as she walked away from the room.

I looked down at the sight of Nathan. They both didn't notice me, so I got out of the way before they did.

"I'm here when you want to join," Wilson mumbled before retreating down a separate hallway.

I got into the elevator, ready to go home. When we stopped on the floor below mine Minnick got on. I just smiled at her wearily. I wasn't sure if we still hated her or not, so my usual solution was to avoid her, but I really didn't feel like getting off the elevator and going down the stairs today. I could put up with riding down a few floors with her.

"Rough day?" she asked.

I had to hide my shock at her civility. She had seemed so determined in getting everyone to hate her that I hadn't expected her to mutter a word. Yet, there she was, offering a form of sympathy.

"You have no idea."

"If it helps, Riggs is blind. I wouldn't date Grey. Take it from me, picking you would have been wiser."

I turned to fully face her. How was she so filled in on the scoop when she just started working here? When every attending in this entire hospital wanted to get rid of Minnick, how the hell did she know what was going on between us?

"I'm fine with it," I mumbled, dismissing my curiosity.

"You're not acting fine with it," she countered. This argumentative version of Eliza was the version I had come to known. This felt much more natural. "It's fine. You liked Riggs and Grey went behind your back. It breaks the girl code, never mind the sister code."

I peered at her and we both got out of the elevator and began walking to the sliding doors. "Don't take offense to this, but how did you even hear that I liked him? I thought no one else knew about this."

The last I had heard, only me, Meredith and Amelia had known the full extent of my crush. And, of course, the man who humiliated me by turning me down.

"Riggs has gotten close with Arizona," she shrugged.

That was alarming. Robbins hated Minnick. She was a main leader in our revolt.

"I didn't know you and Robbins talked," I tried to gauge her out. "How did you get her to tell you?"

She froze in front of me for a moment before she shrugged the question off. "We're friends."

"You and Arizona?" I double checked, trying to hide my amazement. She looked suspicious and this just didn't seem right. "Arizona Robbins? Peds?"

"That's the one," she smiled at me, quickening her pace to walk away. "See you tomorrow, Pierce."

I watched her walk away and shook my head. I could foresee a lot of people giving in and learning to like Minnick, but I never thought Robbins would be one of them. Out of all of us she was the closest to Richard. I wondered if my birth father knew about this newly kindled friendship, but during my time waiting by the car for Meredith to come drive us home my rage returned and Minnick left my mind.

She came out within ten minutes, digging in her bag for her keys. Even when she reached the car, she immediately went to the driver's seat, not once facing me.

"I'm ready," she muttered.

"Amelia's not coming?"

I really had hoped Amelia would be a good buffer.

"On call," she said shortly.

We both slammed our doors with more force than needed. I was tempted to speak up, but I kept my mouth shut. I was always the weak one, always the one giving in. I refused to do that this time. I did nothing wrong. This time, it was on her and I was done making excuses. Ever since I had arrived, all I'd done was make excuses for why she was such a bitch towards me.

When I first got to Seattle it was, "She doesn't know you, Maggie, just give her time to warm up." Then it was, "Her husband died, Maggie, she needs time to grieve." I was so sick and tired of letting her trample me. I had feelings too. I got hurt too. I was human too.

I greeted the kids when I got home, but didn't stay to chit-chat. I went to my room. I didn't want to see her be nice to kids. I was mad and I wanted to stay mad.

Still, once everyone was settled down in bed I went back downstairs to fix myself dinner. I had barely eaten at lunch and hunger consumed me, but I was only sitting and watching TV with my pasta for a few moments when there was a knock on the door. Before moving to Seattle, I always got nervous when there were unannounced late night visitors, but it was something I'd grown used to living in this house. People were always in and out.

I groaned, getting up from my spot on the couch and opening the front door. I hated how Alex always came late at night and forgot his key. He was a grown man, it really wasn't that hard to remember. I almost wanted to keep him locked out so he couldn't go pity Meredith and disregard how she lied to me for months.

However, it was not Alex in the slightest. I immediately froze stiff when I saw the woman standing outside, holding the handle of a suitcase. A part of me wasn't so sure she was really there, her black curly hair and olive skin. It was a ghost from the past.

"Cristina," I breathed out the name.

"I hope you're not ruining my department," she told me bluntly. "Where's Meredith?"

"I – sorry, she didn't tell me you were coming," I stuttered. Out of all the things I saw happening, I couldn't have predicted this if I tried.

"She wasn't at the hospital or Joe's, so she's here, right? I don't need small talk, I just want to see her."

I didn't know what to say, so I just stepped aside and let her in. I opened my mouth to speak, but she was already halfway up the stairs as if she'd never left. I huffed at the thought that Meredith would have yet another person to be happy for her and ignore how she lied to my face.

Even when I regained my ability to calm down and think straight, I wasn't sure how to comprehend this. She was supposed to be across the ocean, in Switzerland, not on my doorstep in Seattle. What the hell was she doing here?

* * *

 **I don't know if I'm going to make Cristina a main character or if she's just visiting so if you have strong feelings let me know! If it isn't clear, I'm basically winging this whole thing...**


	3. Chapter 3 - Meredith

**Chapter 3**

 **Meredith's POV**

"What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously.

She was there. In my bedroom. In person. Not on a screen. Laying next to me. Physically beside me. Cristina waltzed in and was with me right now. I couldn't believe it.

My soulmate was home.

"Alex said you're dating an asshole, so I came to interrogate," she shrugged as if flying 5,237 miles was no big deal.

"In person?" I gawked. "He didn't even tell me you were coming!"

 _She was there._

"I didn't tell him," she explained. "It was more of an impulse flight. I just needed to see you, needed to make sure you're okay, that this boy will treat you right." She laid flat on her back, but her head stayed turned to face me as she let out a content sigh. "Also, I really missed you, Mer."

"Yeah, you too," I plopped down. I still felt guilty she made the trip. "I feel bad, though. You really didn't need to come. He's a good guy."

She looked away, shaking her head, "I just need to make sure. I need to know who he is. I couldn't be okay until I knew you were in good hands."

"Yeah," I gave in, turning to lay on my back as well. "It's not the same without you looking out for me and bossing me around."

"You need me to keep you in balance," she agreed. "Besides, you know how to stand your ground pretty well. Bossing you around is impossible."

I laughed a little at her, soaking in her humor, not knowing when I'd get it again.

"How long are you here for?"

She let out a deep breath, looking at the ceiling fan. "A few days. A few weeks? I don't really know."

We laid there in silence, but even after all this time the silence was comforting. She hadn't visited since she'd left, or at least not a casual one. Which, was understandable, her job had always been the thing that most defined her. I knew she had to go to Switzerland and be successful. She had to build on her career, I knew that, but dear god, I was so glad she was laying beside me right then. Even if the company was temporary, at least it was there. Cristina was there.

"So?" she broke the silence.

"So?"

She turned her full body onto her side and stared at me. I looked over to her and she rose her eyebrows. "Is he an asshole?"

I laughed, looking at her. I couldn't stop smiling. The day was awful before, but with Cristina beside me, talking about boys like we used to, I couldn't help but feel happy.

"He really is."

I had to look away from her stare.

"You have that glint in your eye back," she observed.

"What glint?"

"The Grey Glint," she told me.

I couldn't help but look away, once again laughing.

"I'm serious!" she protested. "When you were with Derek and things were good your eyes looked all flirty and sparkly and not dark and twisty."

"And they look that way again? Because of Nathan?"

"Well, it's because of someone," she held her ground.

I didn't answer, just sitting there with my thoughts. It was absurd that Cristina had never met Nathan. In fact, she probably hadn't even heard his name before. I kept her posted with the basics about Owen, but I didn't go into detail. When Riggs came I handled it. I looked out for Owen like she asked, but I wasn't going to bring up all of that with Cristina over the phone or video call. I would do what she asked, but she would've been worried if I'd told her. Then, when we started our… thing, I just didn't say anything. I suddenly realized I cut everyone out, not just Maggie.

"You never told me you were seeing someone."

I held in a deep breath. I thought she wasn't going to bring it up. She didn't mention it before now, but I knew I omitted everything about him when I spoke to her. She was my person, but I didn't want her to know about something that wasn't even going to happen. I didn't see the point in complaining about a guy that I had convinced myself wasn't even that special.

"It's fine," she quickly added in response to my silence. "I was just surprised. I thought you'd tell me when you got involved again."

"I wasn't involved," I instantly countered. "Or, at least, I thought I wasn't. I didn't want to be."

"What changed?"

I looked at her again, but this time I felt a pang in my chest. Usually when we did this there was another person in this bed, another person I couldn't live without. Now, there was only us.

"He brought up Derek."

Suddenly her eyes were wide with disbelief. "He _what_?"

Her full attention was on me as I relived the memories. He should have been there with us, in the bed, complaining about how we talk too much and he didn't have enough room to sleep.

"At some point I gotta let go," I sighed, the words so familiar. "He's right."

Cristina stayed silent, only the sound of our breathing filling the room.

"I don't want to let go of him, but… Nathan is a good guy, Cristina. He's understanding, patient, kind, smart – a little cocky, but we're working on that." I laughed as I heard her sneer. "I've moved on in every other way. I've accepted he's not going to be coming back. It's time to move on in this way too."

"Don't defend yourself to me. He's right," she nodded. "You need to let go. It's been years and you're ready. Plus, you're hot." I snorted. "More importantly, how's the sex?"

"Oh, that's great," I grinned slyly.

She laughed, shaking her head. We were silent again until she almost sat up in a sitting position, staring as if I was insane. "That plane stunt could have gone terribly wrong, by the way. You know that, right? It was pretty stupid, especially since half of it was just showing off."

"You're just jealous," I rolled my eyes.

"Well, yeah," she sputtered. "You get all the good cases, you always have! It's unfair, really."

"I just do all the stupid things to get me there," I argued.

"You are pretty stupid."

We both smiled. Her bluntness was missed, because she told it like it was. She wasn't going to baby me or lie to make me happy. I closed my eyes, suddenly realizing that's exactly what I did to Maggie. I could appreciate when people didn't do it to me, but I did it to her so easily.

"Maggie's pretty pissed at me," I found myself sharing.

"Why?" she asked sharply.

I sighed, resting a hand on my stomach as I thought back. "She thinks I stole Riggs from her."

"Did you?"

I appreciated that she knew me well enough to ask, but I didn't want to be honest about it. I still didn't think I did anything wrong – he wasn't hers in the first place – but thinking about it all continuously made me feel guilty. I didn't want to feel that way.

"He was never hers," I quickly defended myself. "She liked him and I told him to turn her down."

"You were jealous?" she smirked. "That's new. I haven't seen that in a while."

"I wasn't jealous," I corrected her sharply.

Her smugness filled her tone. "Then why was it so important he say no?"

"Because – he – I–" I cut myself off, frowning a little at the thought that maybe I really was jealous. "I don't know, okay?"

"She'll get over it."

I took a deep breath in, because I wasn't so sure. I'd seen her hurting the past few months, but in all the time I'd known her I never saw her so pissed off. She constantly looked like I betrayed her, but I really didn't. _I didn't_.

"She views it as me lying to her," I explained. "Maggie… she's not like us, Cristina. We're so dark and twisty, and she's so… not. She still thinks the world is good, and I mean truly believes that. I promised her I wouldn't tell anymore lies, but me secretly having this thing with Nathan – she views omission of the truth as a lie, which is dumb, right?"

"You didn't lie," she confirms in her matter-of-fact voice. "If she doesn't like you, so what? It's not like you owe her anything. Sure, she's blood, but she wasn't there when you stuck your hand inside a body with a bomb or almost drowned yourself or survived a plane crash."

"I just wish I had more time with Lexie," I murmured. I watched as Cristina's tough expression faltered. "Believe me, I tried so hard not to like Maggie, especially after losing Lexie, but, at the end of the day, she's my sister. Her and Amelia and Alex… they're all I've got when you're gone. I don't want to admit it, but they're my people too. You'll always be my person, _the_ person, but when you can't be there, they're family. And even though Amelia and me clash, Maggie sorts it out. Maggie sorts everything out. I don't want her to be so angry, but I still feel like I have nothing to apologize for."

"She seems too sensitive to me," Cristina shrugged off the speech, failing to have a heart to heart with me. "Tell her to suck it up. He's a boy. It's not like he's your new McDreamy."

"Yeah," I absently nodded.

She looked me over and her eyes went wide with shock, quietly yelling as to not wake up the kids. "He's your new McDreamy?"

"He's a good guy," I repeated, not quite sure what my answer to that question was yet. "I'm going to bed."

"I'm not leaving this bed," she remarked defiantly, as if I'd actually kick her out.

I smiled at her, "I wouldn't expect you to. Now, stop talking or I'll be cranky tomorrow."

"For a good surgeon, you really do sleep a lot."

"Stop talking," I hummed.

That ended our conversation. I rolled over and closed my eyes, but the thought of Lexie plagued me. I didn't tell her how much I loved her before it was too late. What if that happened with Maggie too?

But I just didn't do anything wrong. I didn't.

* * *

I felt an arm wrap around my waist and guide me into an on call room. I smiled. This was old, but it was so new. Sisterly feuds and getting swept into on call rooms… all of this had happened once before. The first time I hated it. Now, although I didn't like that Maggie was mad at me, I was learning to embrace the fact that having a great sister and loving boyfriend isn't the worst thing that could happen to me.

"I haven't seen you in a while," I smirked.

He shrugged it off, his eyes shining at me. "I wanted things to simmer down."

"Right, that's not happening," I scoffed.

"She's still mad at you?" he asked surprised. "It's Pierce. She's-"

"I know," I told him defeated. "But she is."

"Should I talk to her?" His voice was suddenly nervous. I opened my mouth but he quickly continued before I could make a snide comment. "Yeah, yeah, you can fight your own battles, I know. I get that you're strong and independent, but if she needs to hear my side-"

"Let it go," I sighed. "She'll come around. As you said, it's Pierce. She always does."

"So, when can I take you out again?" he changed the subject. "I mean, on call room sex is great, but-"

"That reminds me," I interrupted for a third time, this time much happier. "We do have a dinner date. When are you free?"

"Tomorrow night I'm off," he offered. "Where are you taking me?"

"To meet my best friend," I said simply. "It's time."

He tilted his head, clearly confused. "I've met all your friends. They all work here."

"Not my best friend," I almost sang.

He was lost in thought, racking his brain, but then his eyes went wide. "Wait, your _best_ friend? Like, Switzerland best friend? That best friend?"

"That's the one!"

"I can't meet her," he declared.

I squinted my eyes, not understanding that at all. I had expected him to be excited, but he quickly shut the idea down. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't presenting it as an option. It was going to happen or _we_ weren't going to happen. Cristina was part of us, even if he didn't know it yet.

"What do you mean you can't meet her?"

"She could ruin my chances with you," he told me. "It took me long enough to convince you with Maggie. I can't risk Cristina not liking me."

"You remembered her name! That's good," I smiled smugly. It was nice seeing his ego knocked down a notch, watching his anxiety rise. "I'll see you tomorrow at eight."

"I'm working-"

"Too late," I laughed, walking towards the door. "She's looking forward to it."

"I hope you told her nice things," he tried to reason with me. "Like, how I'm charming and kind. You told her that?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his insecurity. I had never seen that side of him before. It was kind of cute.

"Actually, the whole reason she's here is because Alex told her I was dating an ass. She came to make sure I was okay and still sane. Honestly, I never even mentioned you until she burst into my bedroom at eleven-thirty on a week night yesterday."

"So, that's all she knows? That Alex thinks I'm an ass?" He shook his head, running a finger through his hair. "Did you at least tell her that I'm not an ass?"

"But you are an ass."

"Meredith," he groaned. "You need to tell her I'm a good guy."

"Just show her you're a good guy," I said simply, not mentioning the fact that I had. "She won't like you, but if you're a good guy she'll tolerate you."

"Wait, why won't she like me?" He looked frantic now hearing that.

"Two reasons. One is because you had issues with Owen."

"This is Owen's Cristina," he muttered, realization once again dawning him. His accent came out when he was nervous or upset, so even though he was panicking I was quite turned on. "Great. That's great, she's the main reason you were so hostile towards me at first. And you want her to meet me? This sounds like a bad idea."

"We're a package deal," I told him firmly. "If you can't handle Cristina, I can't date you."

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. "Really? You're serious?" When I kept my serious expression he continued begrudgingly. "Okay, _fine_. What's the second reason she won't like me?"

"Because she's my person and you're the man I'm dating."

He cocked his head to the side, drawling out his words carefully. "She's your… person?"

"She's my person," I confirmed, not thinking twice. "She's the one I'd call to drag the corpse."

"What corpse?"

"It's all a hypothetical-"

"Whatever, that doesn't matter," he muttered, finally grasping the fact that when it came to matters between Cristina and I questions were a dangerous thing. "Why am I not your person? We're together, so I thought-"

"She's my person," I didn't let him finish. "Me and you… we're good. I like it. But Cristina will always be my person. Derek was never her, he was never my person. It's always been Cristina."

"And Derek was okay with that?"

"I think he found it charming after a while," I leered. "He knew there was no coming between us. It's not up for debate. My person is Cristina, she's my person. End of discussion."

"But-"

"You don't want to fight me on this, you don't stand a chance," I told him as he got flustered. "Dinner. Tomorrow. Eight. You can pick us up."

"Meredith."

I opened the door, not having anything more to say about the conversation.

"Meredith!" he yelled after me.

He was anxious to meet her. Which, he probably should be. But me? I was excited.


	4. Chapter 4 - Maggie

**DISCLAIMER: if you're just waiting for Nathan to meet Cristina, that's the next chapter! This is mainly about Maggie/Meredith. Stay tuned :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Maggie's POV**

Cristina had officially been at the house for twelve hours, and, while I wanted to know when she would leave, I didn't want to ask her how long she was planning on staying. I was seeing the full force of how she was Meredith's right hand man, but my memories of Cristina weren't of her being all too supportive of me, so I certainly wasn't going to speak to her unless I needed to. The last time she was here we weren't exactly best friends - or even regular friends for that matter.

She didn't initiate a conversation with me at all. In fact, I didn't see her initiate a conversation with Amelia either – which made sense since the only thing they really had in common was Owen, whom they were both on iffy terms with. All I saw was her constantly talking and laughing with Meredith as if she didn't have a care in the world. I hated to admit it, but Meredith looked a lot happier with her here too.

I wanted that, what Meredith and Cristina had. I didn't talk to anyone I was an intern with – or even in my residency with, for that matter. The only people I talked to were the friends I made here, the friends who were always Meredith's friends before mine. I remembered what Jo had said, but I refused to interact with a crew that probably only hated Meredith because she was a hard ass.

I never heard what the two of them were saying, but I was still up at 3 a.m. and they hadn't left her room, the slow murmur of voices talking, only pausing when the room filled with laughter. I knew they probably had discussed me, but I didn't know what else they had to discuss at all hours of the day.

It amazed me how they were both so harsh to each other, yet so close. Cristina would challenge Meredith and Meredith would spit it right back. I never had that. I never had someone be authentically themselves with me. I had the people in the hospital, sure, but who was there to really talk to? Eliza was the only one who openly said she was on my side, and I certainly wasn't trusting _her_ , not when half the hospital still hated her. Albeit, Eliza was one of the few who actually heard the entire story, yet it still felt like people were against me in this situation.

Amelia and I ate breakfast while Meredith and Cristina were in the living room with the three kids. Even though she hadn't been in their lives for years now, the kids were so comfortable with their Aunt Cristina. I would be afraid of someone like her if I was kid – hell, I was now – but they loved being around her.

And I hated everything about it. I hated that Cristina was there, I hated feeling so jealous, I especially hated admitting that word. Her and Meredith were inseparable, their relationship was so effortless, there was so much history – a history that I had always wanted with a sister.

At the end of the day, I knew there was no coming in between them. I might be blood, but Cristina would always be her favorite sister. All I wanted was for Meredith to look like she regretted what she did, but she never did. She always looked content, because Cristina was by her side.

"Why is she even here?" I grumbled to Amelia as we watched them be a happy family.

"I don't know. They're each other's person, or some crap like that," she shrugged.

I rolled my eyes, "How _cute_."

Amelia just huffed a little beside me in agreement.

"Do you know when she's leaving?" I asked, trying to sound casual, as if I didn't want her to get back to Switzerland as soon as possible.

She took another bite of her apple and stared at the newspaper below her. I wished it were my day off too, thinking her life must be pretty nice right now. The last thing I wanted was to drive alone with Meredith.

"No idea. Doesn't look like anytime soon." She eventually glanced over at me and nudged my side. When I looked at her she shook her head with an all knowing smile. "She can't just ignore you forever."

"Well, Cristina isn't exactly all too fond of me," I pointed out. "I don't think Meredith will come around with her here. She probably won't even miss me."

That one made Amelia fully laugh, "Cristina's barely fond of Meredith, don't worry." She stared at me, then still gave me another reassuring smile. "As much as they are the Twisted Sisters, or whatever they call themselves, you're family now. She can't get rid of you, Maggie. You're part of the village now."

"Sometimes it just doesn't feel like it," I told her honestly, feeling pathetic at the way sadness dripped from my voice.

"You are," she said earnestly. "Like it or not, you're part of us now. And, as much as Meredith won't admit it, she misses you too."

I sighed, shaking my head. "You don't know that."

"I do," Amelia smirked. "Eavesdropping on conversations is a perk of staying up late these days and having extraordinary hearing."

I laughed at that, but it still didn't help. "Let me guess, she said I'll get over it?"

"Nope," she popped the word out. "She says she wishes she was still married," she breathes out, looking down. "She wishes he was still here, said that'd just fix everything."

"Yeah, well, she can't always play the dead husband card," I huffed out. I could miss Meredith all I wanted, but I was still bitter.

"She kind of can," Amelia argued. "As difficult as Meredith can be, Derek was her everything. I can hate her for a lot of things, but she loved the hell out of my brother. It's part of the reason we clash so much."

"Aren't you a little mad?" I tried to provoke her, wanting company in my anger. "He was your brother and now she's dating the man your husband hates."

"He's only a hypothetical husband right now and he doesn't hate Riggs. They get along," she pointed out.

I looked at her, tilting my head. I just hated being so pissed off alone. Amelia practically always hated Meredith's actions, but suddenly her dating this man was perfectly okay?

"Derek was your brother."

"Yeah," she nodded. She looked down once again and I knew I was stirring up emotions that she didn't want to deal with. "But, he's been gone, Maggie. And, yeah, I'm not thrilled to see Meredith moving on, no one will be better than Derek, but it's time we all did. He would have wanted her to be happy, and, whether you like it or not, you need to admit that she's pretty fucking happy with Riggs – God knows why."

I let out a deep breath, shaking my head. I really wished I could pretend she wrong, but she was happy. My sister was finally happy.

* * *

Meredith swiftly walked out of OR 2, unknowingly almost trampling me. I watched her as her figure faded the further she got, but eventually decided to chase after her. I was so angry, but I was also scared. She was ignoring me with what seemed to be more and more ease. I wanted her to realize she was wrong, not forget me, which is exactly what I was afraid she was doing.

"Meredith!" I called down the hall.

She turned around. A part of me was shocked she actually stopped walking. I stood there, frozen.

"Do you need something?" she asked hastily, as if she had somewhere important to be.

"How's your patient?"

For a second I thought she was going to yell at me for the dumb question, but then she stopped herself. "He's fine, he'll make it."

"Good," I let out a breath.

She didn't stare at me much longer before raising her eyebrows. "What is it?"

I stared at her. I hadn't been afraid to say something in front of her for a long time, but I was afraid to say this. It would sound stupid to her since she was always secure and confident in her life, but it wasn't stupid to me. I just really didn't want her to laugh, I wouldn't be able to take it.

She began to raise her eyebrows in that impatient manner she had and I knew I had to say something.

"Don't replace me," I quickly said what had been on my mind ever since seeing her with Cristina this morning.

"I-" she cut herself off, furrowing her entire face in confusion. " _What_? I don't know what you're talking about."

"With Cristina," I kept going while I could, while I had the courage, while she wasn't exploding. "Don't replace me with her… just… please."

"What are you talking about?"

I tried to figure out her reaction, but she actually looked like she didn't understand what I was saying over anything else. She wasn't laughing and didn't seem to be mad. Although I wasn't sure why she was so lost as to what I was trying to say, I thought I said it clear as day. I really didn't want to repeat it.

"She's back and I just don't want you to replace me," I told her, quickly becoming more and more insecure about this confrontation.

She finally laughed a little, but it wasn't mockery at all. "Trust me, you could never be Cristina, you're just not as hardcore."

I didn't think there wasn't malice in it, so I smiled with her. "I know I can't, trust me, I know I'm far from hardcore, just… don't forget me. I've dealt with a lot lately, but I really can't deal with getting replaced or you not needing me or something like that that. Okay?"

Her body relaxed and she shrugged her shoulders with a slight smile of her own this time. "I'm not the one who's mad, Maggie. I don't want to replace you."

"You don't?" I asked, genuinely surprised. "I thought she was your sister."

"We're the Twisted Sisters," she clarified. I debated asking, but I knew I'd never fully understand what that was about. "You're still my sister. We have that stupid biological bond, or whatever you want to call it. You and Amelia will always be my sisters. Well, Amelia is when she's on her good days, but you are indefinitely."

"So, Cristina doesn't change that?" I quizzed her, ignoring the slight ridicule of Amelia. I had bigger concerns at the moment. "At all? You being close to a _real_ sister won't bother her?"

"Maggie, this isn't new," she pointed out.

Only, I didn't know what she was pointing out. I looked at her confused and she sighed. She looked down, then back up, then sadly smiled at me. "You forget that I had another sister before you came along."

My heart suddenly fell for her, feeling awful for her situation for the first time since I'd found out about Riggs. She was right, I did forget that. In fact, I forgot it a lot. Meredith was my first encounter with a long lost sister, but Lexie existed. Hell, the first year I spent in Seattle I was constantly paranoid I'd never compare to her _first_ unexpected, unknown sister. It was crazy how easily I was able to feel at home once I'd let my guard down.

"Meredith-"

"I'm not mad at you," she cut off my sympathy, returning to her curt manner. "You're mad. Not me. And it's fine, be mad at me, I'll be here when you're over it, but I can't talk about this. Not in the middle of the hospital, not when it just makes you pity me. I don't need you to pity me – and don't pity yourself either. Cristina is, well, Cristina, but you're Maggie." She stopped, nodding her head. "You're always going to be my sister. Forgive me whenever you want. I really am sorry, Maggie. I am. I feel awful, trust me, but I can't talk about losing anymore people."

Before I could say another word she was long gone, around the corner, probably on another floor. If there's one thing she was good at it was running away. Even I knew that.


	5. Chapter 5 - Meredith

**Chapter 5**

 **Meredith POV**

"Is he scared of me?" Cristina asked giddily while we waited for Nathan in the living room. She was almost bouncing with anticipation. "I hope he is, he should be."

She was looking at me with hope in her eyes and I nodded at her with a smile, easily able to reassure her. I said the words I knew she wanted to hear. "He's pretty terrified right about now."

"Did you tell him I know about his mean past with Owen? And that I'm heartless? You better have at least told him I'm heartless," she said pointedly.

I was surprised she mentioned Owen, because she didn't talk about him much. Even when I realized I had to fill her in on him and Amelia she sat quietly, asked if I was done and changed the subject. No commentary whatsoever. She hadn't acted too pissed off at Amelia, so I knew she wasn't too torn up over it, but I didn't hear her mention his name since she'd arrived until now. It came out so casually. She didn't _seem_ heartbroken still, but the only person who was better at me than hiding and stuffing down feelings was Cristina, so I couldn't be certain.

I looked at her with a broad grin and shook my head. "You are _not_ heartless."

"We know that, but _he_ doesn't."

"Cristina, I'm not telling him that you're-"

The doorbell rang and she quickly shot up from her seat, rushing to the door. She swung it open, facing Riggs with a testing look. I would admit that I was glad I never got on the wrong side of her.

"Hi," I heard him say. I stepped closer so he came into view as he was holding out his hand to her. "You must be Cristina."

"It's Doctor Yang," she said curtly.

He immediately looked at me surprised and I stifled a laugh. He tried to keep his doctor expression, not letting his composure falter, but he wasn't doing a very good job. This was going to be a fun night.

"Right – uh – sorry, I-"

"Cristina," I saved him from trying to figure out the correct response to that. "You can call her Cristina."

"Don't tell him what he can call me," she snapped. "I'll compromise for Yang, but that's the best you'll get."

"Cristina, you can't order people to-"

"Sounds great, Dr. Yang," Nathan put on a polite smile. "Do you have a place picked out?"

I shook my head, waving a hand through the air. "We're winging it-"

"I have a place," Cristina yet again interrupted. She had so many antics and games that I had forgotten since she'd left. "I'll drive."

"Okay," he stepped back, letting us out.

Cristina held out her hand with her palm facing the sky and he looked at me confused.

"She wants your keys," I explained.

"You're driving my car?" He was clearly caught off guard, not sure exactly how serious I was.

She gave him a look as if he was an idiot, her voice laced with snarkiness. "Well, _I_ don't have a car to drive. I live in Switzerland."

"Right," he clicked his tongue, reluctantly handing over his keys.

"No funny business while I drive," she warned the both of us, but she looked at me with amused eyes.

I was shocked that Nathan was being so amicable to her attitude. I expected him to resist her or put her in place, but he followed her orders as if his life depended on it. He really did surprise me. His temper was so good that in the car he almost made Cristina smile a few times. She would have smiled if she wasn't so intent on scaring the shit out of him.

"I've heard a lot about you," he offered when we were a little ways down the road.

"I didn't hear about you until two days ago," she retorted.

He took a different approach, laughing along. "Yeah, Mer wanted to keep me her dirty little secret."

"You know, that's a trend with her," she hummed, directing her question to me next. "Have you ever had a relationship where you didn't try to hide it?"

" _Yes_ ," I quickly cleared up, not liking that I was suddenly the focus of attention. I looked at Nathan in the backseat. He was staring at me apprehensively and I groaned. "What now?"

His focus snapped away from me and he instantly shook his head. "Nothing, just zoned out."

I narrowed my eyes, not willing to believe that. "Sounds unlikely."

"You know, you really do have trust issues, Dr. Grey."

"You should hear her past, it explains why pretty good," Cristina threw in her two cents. "Also, don't point that out. Only I'm allowed to point out any issues of hers. You know _nothing_."

I crossed my arms, not willing to let it go and ignoring Cristina's orders. "If you have a question for one of us just ask it."

"I don't." I stared at him until he caved. "You don't want me to ask. I don't want to ruin the mood."

"My mood isn't exactly ecstatic right now," Cristina informed him. "Ruin it before you crush a happy moment later on."

Eventually she couldn't help but warm up a bit. She still made sure she didn't look too interested, but at least her tone didn't have as much of a bite to it anymore.

"C'mon," she coaxed. "What's on your mind, pretty boy?"

"It's a dumb question, I don't know why I was even thinking of it..." He hesitated, but eventually went on. "Were you and Derek a secret too, then?"

Cristina began staring straight ahead, suddenly not taking her eyes off of the road. Her and I didn't talk about Derek much. We talked about Mark and Lexie, but Derek was silently determined to be off limits. After a few months of me insisting I didn't want to talk about it, that I was fine, she stopped asking. I was dark and twisty, but at the time even I wasn't dark and twisty enough to deal with Derek.

Meeting Nathan made it easier, though. It would never be easy, but he made it easier, which was a start. His openness about Megan made it okay to be vulnerable. He rarely asked direct questions about my dead husband like he was now, but he made it okay for me to open up about it when I was ready. He made him okay to talk about and I never thought that would happen.

"Let's just say you're not the first guy I snuck around in on call rooms with," I shrugged it off. I swore I heard Cristina let out a breath of air.

"Frisky," he laughed it all off. "I like it."

"Don't have sex in my car," Cristina snapped.

We were silent for the next five minutes until we eventually arrived. I let out a laugh, looking at her in disbelief as she pulled into the parking lot. "You took us to the _hospital_? Out of all the places you chose _here_?"

"I wanted to see it."

"We work here, Cristina!"

" _You_ work here," she corrected. "Do you mind, Dr. Riggs?"

"Not at all, Dr. Yang," he responded politely.

I rolled my eyes, giving him a stern look. "Don't call her Dr. Yang."

"You better call me Dr. Yang," Cristina corrected.

"Cristina, he's calling you Cristina."

I turned to my person, but she was giving me a look of annoyance.

"I'm-"

" _Cristina_ ," I reiterated. "You are not Dr. Yang. He isn't your patient, so stop treating him like one."

"He will be if he does anything stupid," she shot back.

Nathan smiled at me a little when Cristina got out of the car. She shut the door behind her and he waggled his eyebrows at me. "She's charming."

"You aren't much better," I smirked as we both got out of the car too.

"Is she serious? Are we eating cafeteria food?"

Nathan was being a good sport, but, as she did everyone else who met her, Cristina threw him off his game. He wasn't as cocky and his ego was three steps below his normal. At first it was nice, but I wished he'd loosen up. Eventually he would learn that Cristina wouldn't admit to liking him no matter how easy going he seemed. She was protective of me. Sometimes it went overboard, but after Derek I couldn't really blame her.

"We're not eating here," I quickly caught up to her, pulling on her arm.

She didn't stop. She walked as if she was on a mission. "I just want a tour."

"You don't need a tour, nothing's changed."

Despite my attempt to convince her she moved forward, me struggling to keep up with her fast pace.

"I just want to check up on my wing," she explained. "It'll be quick. In and out."

"I can help with that," Nathan offered.

Now _that_ got Cristina to stop moving. She spun around and tilted her head at the comment, suddenly displaying anger. It was like someone flipped a switch. She was fired up now. "Why you? What makes you better than Meredith? Do you think she isn't sufficient?"

"I know she's sufficient, she owns the place," he quickly replied, this time with annoyance slightly dripping into his voice. "I'm a cardio surgeon, so I figure I know my way around better in the specialty, that's all."

"You're cardio?" she asked, her eyes going back and forth from him to me.

 _Oops_. I had fibbed that he was a general surgeon and worked under me. I knew if I mentioned he worked in cardio it wouldn't exactly help Cristina's image of him, not to mention her everlasting idea that she was better than him. Truth be told, when it came to surgery she was probably better than him at almost anything.

"Meredith."

I took the best option. Fake innocence and concern. "You okay?"

"Is this hairy man a cardio surgeon?"

"I told you that," I lied through my teeth. I knew she wouldn't buy it, but it was worth a shot.

She stared at both of us before turning around and laughing. "You're nothing compared to me, Riggs."

I was shocked that she wasn't mad at me, so I ignored the jab she took at Nathan.

"I'm not really going to subject us to eating cafeteria food. I remember how it tastes here," she assured us. "Show me around, then I'll take you both out. Well, Riggs will. I'm not paying."

I held back another laugh, noticing that Riggs didn't even look back at her for that comment. He just stared straight ahead. Cristina was getting to him, but he was determined to keep his temper. It was cute, really.

She followed around the uneventful tour that Nathan gave. I wasn't lying to her when I said nothing was different. The color of the walls, the layout of the rooms, hell, even some of the patients that were in and out of the revolving door, were the exact same. She smiled and scowled at familiar nurses, how much she liked them deciding which facial expression to give.

True to her word, she took us to an upscale restaurant after. She had made reservations and I was impressed. I honestly had thought she was winging the entire evening. It was nice. Granted, Cristina still scared the shit out of Nathan by the end of the night, and he still referred to her as Dr. Yang, but they met. They approved of each other. Hopefully it was enough to reassure Cristina to go home.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Cristina. She was my person, day in and day out, no exceptions, but this wasn't her. Taking days off from a hospital she ran wasn't her. She loved work. I knew she loved me as well, but it was unlike her to put anyone before work. If she was worried enough to stay I just felt guilty. I didn't need babysitting. She was my best friend and I wanted to see her living her life, doing what made her happy, because I was happy too. I really was. Nathan made me happy.

"Thanks for coming out tonight," Nathan told us both. He turned to Cristina. "It was nice to meet you Dr. Yang."

I rolled my eyes. The formality of 'Dr. Yang' had already grown quite old.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Nathan," I smiled sincerely at him. He was a good sport tonight. Honestly, he was a pretty good boyfriend… even though I felt like I was a measely intern again when I used the word 'boyfriend'.

"Yeah, see ya," Cristina huffed. She walked to the door, opening it. "Riggs!" she turned around, calling his name out again.

"Yeah?"

She looked at him from afar, her expression remaining serious. "I'll probably see you again, but if I don't you better remember this: You're not the sun. She is."

I could tell he didn't exactly get what she meant, but I did. She'd told me before that she wished she had emphasized that phrase to Derek more. It wouldn't change that he died, but she wished she told him. I was pretty sure Derek had already known, though. He may have forgotten for a little, but he knew. He always knew.

"I couldn't forget that if I tried," he replied smoothly.

We both entered the house and I immediately took off my heels. I had grown accustomed to wearing them, but that didn't mean I particularly liked them.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's halfway decent," she grumbled. I laughed a little but she looked at me. "I really did want to hate him, you know?"

"You want to hate everyone," I smirked.

"At this hour, I do."

I smiled to myself. At this hour we were usually upstairs complaining about the world, but tonight was different. We weren't being dark and twisty. Things were good. They were actually… good.

"Hello."

We both jumped, turning back around from the staircase we were about to go up.

"Alex, you scared the hell out of me," I cursed.

Cristina, on the other hand, just let out a smirk. "Evil Spawn, it's been a while."

"You said you weren't coming," he accused, standing up from the couch.

I had forgotten that they hadn't ran into each other yet. I wasn't so sure I even mentioned Cristina's presence to him. Our paths hadn't crossed much lately – I didn't know if that had to do with Riggs or not, but he was home now, so it didn't matter.

"And I wasn't going to come at the time that we hung up, I decided to thirty seconds after," she shrugged off the accusatory tone. "But it's Meredith, Alex, you didn't really expect me to not investigate?"

"You were in _Switzerland_ ," he emphasized. "I told you I could handle it!"

"I know you could have handled it, I can just handle it better!"

"Handle it over the phone, don't drop everything just because she has a crush!"

"He is not _just_ a crush-"

"Enough!" I quickly broke out forcefully, more for the fact that I didn't need Alex to know all of this. Cristina was over estimating how much I told him about this whole relationship.

"How long are you here, then?" His voice was grumbly, but his face didn't match. He was happy to see her, whether he'd admit it or not.

"Depends, I gotta make sure Mer is stable. I can't trust you with this, let's just be honest," she shot back.

It was clear he was irritated as he groaned. "I could have handled it!"

"I know," she said, but her tone was quite mocking. "I know you could have. I'm sure."

"I don't need to deal with this," he argued, slumping back in the couch.

"Are we free to go, Dad?" she asked sarcastically.

His expression of annoyance made it seem as if _we_ stopped him from going upstairs, not the other way around.

"Leave me alone!"

"Gladly," Cristina smiled.

For a moment, things were back to normal.

* * *

 **honestly I forgot about this story until someone told me to update. the only ideas I have for this focus more on a plot involving Meredith and Cristina's friendship, not so much Merthan, so let me know if you wanna read it or if you even read this chapter! haha**


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